Description

Bill Russell, who received Tony Award nominations for his book and lyrics of Side Show, will share the story of that musical from the idea through both Broadway productions in the New York premiere of “My Side of the Show” at Birdland on Monday, September 25. Illustrating the songs he will talk about writing with composer Henry Krieger, will be Erin Davie, Charity Angél Dawson, Jenna Pastuszek, and Jason Veasey.

Mr. Russell will discuss how a musical about Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined twins who were the highest paid entertainers in the history of vaudeville, got to Broadway in 1997. It’s an inside look at that process through a series of readings, workshops and the Broadway productions -- the writing, casting, triumphs and mishaps along the way. In addition to Tony nominations for Book and Score, the original production of Side Show was also nominated for Best Musical and received an historic shared nomination for Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner for Best Actress in a Musical for their portrayal of the Hilton Sisters. The four singers joining him have all appeared in productions of Side Show. Greg Jarrett will be musical director, Larry Lelli on drums and George Farmer on bass.

Bill Russell is an internationally produced author and director of musicals for the stage. In addition to Side Show, he has written books and lyrics for 14 full-length musicals and 2 one-acts. Those include elegies for angels, punks and raging queens and Unexpected Joy with composer Janet Hood, Pageant with Albert Evans and Frank Kelly and Lucky Duck, Kept, and Up in the Air with Henry Krieger.

Russell is joined on stage by Erin Davie, Charity Angél Dawson, Jenna Pastuszek, Jason Veasey, Greg Jarrett, Larry Lelli, and George Farmer.